TF3: Defend The Earth
- Brand
- Paramount Pictures
- Year
- 2011
- Objective
- Awareness
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Mechanic
- Other
- Platform
- AR & VR
- Agency
- Digital Kitchen
Objective
Paramount timed the app to the theatrical release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, using it to build pre-show buzz and pull moviegoers into specific IMAX and AMC auditoriums a week ahead of the film's opening. The idea was to bridge the theater lobby poster with a mobile, shareable experience rather than run awareness purely through traditional out-of-home.
Solution
Players open the free app and use its built-in locator to find the nearest participating IMAX or AMC theater displaying the special Optimus Prime poster. Once there, they point their iPhone camera at the poster and watch it spring to life on screen, triggering a first-person shooting battle against a wave of Decepticons. Clearing that poster encounter unlocks a separate 360-degree mode that can be played anywhere, no poster required, where players keep battling and climbing a global leaderboard. Scores and unlocked badges can be posted straight to Facebook to show off progress to friends.
- 1
The player downloads the free TF3: Defend the Earth app and uses its geolocation feature to find the nearest participating IMAX or AMC theater displaying a special interactive poster.
- 2
At the poster, the player opens the app, points the phone's camera at the artwork, and aligns an on-screen frame with the poster's corners so the app recognizes it as a marker.
- 3
The poster comes to life: the view switches to a first-person perspective as Optimus Prime, the phone shifts to landscape orientation, and the player physically aims by moving and turning in front of the poster to fight off waves of attacking Decepticons.
- 4
Combat performance earns the player points and achievement badges.
- 5
Clearing the poster encounter unlocks a full 360-degree mode in which Decepticon fighters circle the player, playable anywhere without needing a poster.
- 6
In unlocked mode, the player competes on a global leaderboard for the best score against all other players.
- 7
The player shares their score and achievements directly to Facebook from within the app.
